If you’re new to Yoga or considering taking it up – here’s a quick tour.

What is Yoga
Yoga means ‘union', derived from the Sanskrit word, Yug, and it represents a system to unite mind, body and breath.  It offers us a method of directing and clearing the mind, and achieving positive change in our lives.

To paraphrase the great teacher, TKV Desikachar “….every change is Yoga, whether a new found ability to bend forward and touch your toes, gaining more understanding of ourselves through discussion or study, or reaching any point we’ve never been to before.  Each of these movements and changes is Yoga”  (TKV Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga, Inner Traditions 1999)

And by a gradual ability to direct the mind and still the thoughts, Yoga allows us to be more fully present in the moment, more aware and conscious of whatever it is we are doing at the time.

Its History
Yoga has ancient roots, stretching back approximately 6,000 years to the Indus Valley in Northern India. It is one of six systems of Indian thought known as darsana, which can be interpreted as ‘a way of seeing’.   These ancient teachings, which have their origin in the Vedas, the oldest and central spiritual texts of India dating back to 2000 BCE, all offer the student a way of looking deeper inside themselves.

In the main, we have come to know Yoga as a physical pursuit, but this is only one of the routes towards achieving this place of union, and inner harmony and balance as Yoga has four paths.  Whether you wish to make your body stronger and more supple and are looking for a physical Yoga practice, whether you wish to deepen your ability to relax and concentrate, or whether you wish to learn more about yourself in relation to the world within which you live, then there is a path of Yoga to suit you.  It really does offer something for everybody!

The Four Paths of Yoga

Raja Yoga ~ Yoga though mental discipline. Also known as the Royal path or ‘Classical Yoga’, it is this path which includes the physical practice, known as Hatha Yoga.  Raja Yoga aims at mastery of the mind, seeking to control or still the ‘chatter’ of thoughts through concentration and meditation practices. It consists of an eight-fold path, known as the eight limbs of Yoga.  We won’t be exploring them in detail in this article but the eight limbs include moral and ethical guidelines, postures, breathwork, sense withdrawal, concentration, and meditation.  We cannot have a quiet mind if we are tense or uncomfortable, so the physical postures were designed as a way of enabling the student to be flexible enough to sit for long periods in meditation. Hatha Yoga is therefore an integral element of Raja Yoga.

Karma Yoga  ~ Yoga through selfless service for the benefit of human kind, acting without expectation of outcome or reward.  This is the Yoga of action.  Volunteer workers can be seen to be Karma yogis.

Jnana Yoga ~ Yoga through knowledge or wisdom. It is an intellectual pursuit. Shakespeare, for example, could be termed a Jnana Yogi, as could prominent scientists.  In this form of Yoga, the truths of existence and the nature of the Self are examined through study and self-training.  Here the Self versus the Ego is examined.

Bhakti Yoga ~ Yoga through selfless devotion and love.  This form of Yoga involves faith and worship and concentration on service to the Divine i.e. Gandhi and Mother Theresa could be described as Bhakti Yogis.
 
The physical practice

Hatha Yoga is the physical path of Yoga and the one which is best known in the West.  All classes will include elements of physical posture work (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama) and relaxation. There are several different teaching styles within this and I will explore some of these in a little more detail below, but they include, for example, Iyengar, Viniyoga, Integral, Ashtanga, Tibetan and Sivananda and derive from the methods of the original teacher who introduced the style.  Many hatha yoga classes will combine elements of all these styles and, ultimately, all hatha yoga stems from the same root, handed down over generations from teacher to student, eventually being systemised into text around 500 BCE (with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali), followed by further texts appearing through the Middle Ages. 

Hatha symbolises balance as it is made up of the Sanskrit words Ha (sun) and Tha (moon), thus representing male and female energies, and the left and right sides of the body. The physical practice of Yoga helps to unite and balance these energies, preparing the way for deeper Raja Yoga practices such as meditation and pranayama.

Styles of Hatha Yoga
Below is a very brief outline of some of the most commonly taught Yoga styles. These stem from teachers such as Sri Krishnamacharya and Swami Sivananda Saraswati  who created new branches of the Yoga tree, developing spiritual movements in India from around the  1850’s onwards, themselves carrying on the traditions of the great teachers who had come before them.

Viniyoga –  This system was developed by T.K.V. Desikachar, who grew up in the yoga tradition with his father, the great master Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, and is a highly individualized approach to yoga that tailors the practice to each student's specific physical and emotional needs. Viniyoga is a collection of techniques drawn from their teachings and feature precise use of movement and breath, pranayama, chanting as well as study of the Yoga Sutras and adaptation of practice to meet personal therapeutic needs.  In 1976 Desikachar  founded the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Madras, India. The Centre offers teaching training and individual tuition as well as pioneering research into the impact of yoga on people suffering from various physical, mental and respiratory ailments.  For more info: http://www.ays.org.uk/

Ashtanga -  Ashtanga yoga translates as "eight-limbed yoga" and refers to the eight limbs outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. Ashtanga yogis practice a precise series of poses done in sequential order, linked with the breath, use bandhas (energy locks) to channel energy through the body, and concentrate on singular points using drishti (focussed gaze) during asanas. Classes typically begin with an invocation to Patanjali chanted in Sanskrit. In the West, Ashtanga Yoga (sometimes referred to as Ashtanga vinyasa) most often refers to the system taught by Indian yoga master K. Pattabhi Jois.  Ashtanga has come to be known as an intensely physical and athletic form of yoga, but in reality it is highly meditative as every movement is led by the breath, and therefore one can go only at one’s own pace. For more info http://www.ashtanga.co.uk

Integral - Swami Satchidananda, an Indian monk, born in 1914, and student of Swami Sivananda founded Integral Yoga. He spread his teachings throughout the West with the phrase "Truth is one, paths are many."  An integral yoga class includes a range of yogic techniques for attaining harmony and balance such as chanting mantras, breathwork, and meditation, as well as physical poses and study of spiritual texts.  Karma Yoga also plays its part in Integral Yoga.  Integral Yoga’s gentle poses and emphasis on meditation makes it an ideal practice for the elderly, people with back pain or chronic illness, and pregnant women.  For more info: http://yogaville.org/ and see article by Rowan Cobelli in the December issue of Hermits http://hermitsbazaar.com/index.php/Articles/The-Healer-Within.html

Iyengar  - A student of Sri Krishnamacharya, B.K.S. Iyengar introduced his style of yoga to America almost 50 years ago and it is largely down to his influence that Yoga is so popular in the West.  Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment of the body and Mr Iyengar  pioneered the use of props as learning tools to help achieve this correct alignment, also pioneering the concept of Yoga as a therapeutic tool.  In the Iyengar tradition, breathwork is not taught until there is a thorough grounding of several years in the physical posture practice.  His book ‘Light on Yoga’, first published in 1966, has become a classic reference manual. For more info: http://www.bksiyengar.com/

Sivananda – This practice emphasises 12 basic postures to increase strength and flexibility of the spine. Chanting, pranayama, and meditation are also included to help students release stress and blocked energy.  It is based on the philosophy of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India, who taught disciples to "serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise”  and these teachings were brought to the West in the late 50’s . Sivananda's system can be grouped into five main principles: proper exercise (asanas); proper breathing (pranayama); proper relaxation (Savasana, or Corpse Pose); proper diet (vegetarian); and positive thinking (Vedanta) and meditation (dhyana).  For more info: www.sivananda.org

I hope this has given you some insight and, if you wish to explore further, below are links to some local teachers and centres in the Wessex area, as well as the British Wheel of Yoga which is an umbrella organisation for Yoga in the UK.

British Wheel of Yoga – UK Governing Body for Yoga –  http://ww.bwy.org.uk
Poole Yoga Centre – http://www.wendyoga.co.uk/PooleYogaCentre.htm
Integral Yoga Dorset – http://www.integralyogadorset.org
Greendrove Yoga (Salisbury) http://www.greendroveyoga.org.uk
The School of Raja Yoga Ringwood.  Tel: 01202-821978